1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a method for motor-animating puppets and the like and apparatus with which to carry out the method.
2. Description of Related Art
The above puppets and the like include mime-puppets, animal puppets, toys and amusement figures, animated plants, puppet or doll objects and the like, all or part of their figure-surfaces as well as limbs being moved in such a way that the jerky puppet motions of the entire or partial figure-surfaces as well as limbs are eliminated, as a result of which the continuous impulse-free motions can be implemented in a way unlike that of puppets and hence closer to the ways of people.
The expression herein of "animation" covers the vital facial expressions which are characteristic of the particular species, and also behavior which is specific to the particular species. By means of mechanical, electromechanical and electronic systems and their effects, the invention thoroughly exploits the imparted, artistic figure facial expression and behavior characteristic of the particular species. The method of the invention is intended to make possible the storage, processing and optimization as well as reproduction of the acoustic, optic, mechanic, electrotechnical and electronic effects in the life-like animation of artificially moved figures such as puppets.
There have been attempts and solutions in puppetry to additionally actuate individual elements such as the eyes or the mouth of a performing puppet in order to endow the puppet with greater expressiveness. Nevertheless, even puppets with a plurality of functions, including the ability to move the mouth, close the eyes or more, still fell short of having a "facial expression".
Illustratively, such a development approach is known from German patent document 23.036,614, which relates to apparatus for forcing lip motion in a toy doll, in particular a doll head with a motor-driven gear for eccentrically driving an actuation lever connected to an elastic strip. Each lip is moved by a bar cooperating with a corresponding cylinder projection mounted eccentrically on the gear. However, the "life-like" lip motion transmitted to the doll is far from actually being life-like.
We also refer to the disclosed European patent application 0,150,690 wherein the motion of the doll eyes is achieved by a particular gear mounted on a vertical shaft inside the head and operationally connected with the eyeballs.
Moreover, European patent application 0,212,871 discloses a method and apparatus for recording and reproducing signals controlling animation. This method and apparatus provide signal-processing by discrete logic and, as a result, signal-processing is possible only in a restricted way.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,136 discloses apparatus for controlling a doll based upon storage and reproduction of analog and digital recorded signals. Again, this apparatus is unsuited to effectively process the control signals.
Neither the above solution, nor any of the above designs combined with it, render the dolls or puppets life-like or permits such facial expression, on stage or in films, as is required by and acceptable to contemporary audiences.
Current media, namely movies, video, TV, achieve a new quality of observation. The onlooker not only watches the puppet from the best-possible viewer position, but also sees the entire figure, directly in front of him, with even its face enlarged to screen size.
Even though the "classical puppet" with its "classical features", i.e., frozen facial mien, shape as well as possible behaviors, may be displayed in these media by techniques already in use, some of them for centuries, the current media nevertheless make is possible to exploit "closeups" with additional artistic expression and dimensions by means of newly won and controlled facial expression techniques.
The following elements are part of a system, primarily for hand puppets, and created for figures having sizes matching those of conventional glove puppetry, in which, illustratively, one puppeteer controls the puppet with one hand and to which the present invention may be applied:
1. The Envelope
The puppets are fitted with an elastic envelope hugging their shapes. The material of the envelope may be foam, plastic, rubbery material, fabrics, even leather. Preferably, the envelope is made of foam having a variable thickness and cast or pressed into the corresponding shapes and reproducing such features as folds, beads and the like.
This skin corresponds to the external body envelope of living things. It comprises all visible, bared body parts of the figure.
The skin moreover bears the essential molded elements of the external shape formed appropriately in a mold. Being flexible, the skin is directly braced in flexible or rigid contact by an internal frame also precisely matching the shape at all points where this outer skin requires no deforming, or only very little. Those are the points of the natural figure where the outermost body envelope, i.e., the derma, hardly evinces changes or motion, and in humans this is for instance all of the hairy head, the cheekbone area, the nose bridge, the lower jaw etc. The "internal" frame determines the approximate size. the above mentioned skin, which also evinces the finer features of the shape, is slipped over this frame.
As regards the various effects when deforming this envelope, i.e., the ulterior facial expression, the skin may vary in thickness and/or in materials on the inside. Illustratively, cotton wool or very fine foam may be placed underneath the cheeks.
As a result different or desired differential mechanical properties are imparted to the envelope or skin.
2. The Internal Structure
One purpose of the internal structures is, as noted above, to shape and provide support for the external envelope.
In order to endow this external envelope with corresponding extensions, deformations and motions, in part or in whole, to achieve corresponding facial expressions such as a wrinkled brow, a closed eyelid, an opening mouth etc., and to do so precisely and always in identically reproducible manner, those internally generated forces must act as in a natural body, namely
(a) as regards their absolute force, PA1 (b) as regards their directions, and PA1 (c) at their points or areas of application, there must be rigid, flexible or sliding connections, etc., which are previously determined, implemented and controlled in relation to the intended effects.
In a puppet representing a human, for example, the entire lower jaw may be formed by a rigid bail in the shape of the human lower jaw and which can be pivoted about the jaw articulation axis and thus allows opening and closing of the mouth.
Rigid connection between the bail and the envelope is not required because this envelope hugs the bail which carries it along as it moves, and because the minimal relative displacements between bail a. nd envelope which are to be controlled by the shapes of the bail and envelope also eliminate the "stiffness" and therefore the natural process is imitated very effectively.
As another example, the mouth-corner in the envelope must be rigidly linked in point form to an inner structure to control mouth effects in all nuances. Regardless of whether the mouth is open or closed, the corner must point up for a jolly effect and down for a sad one.
Preferably, these internal structures are implemented using plunger, bail, and lever mechanisms, etc., causing corresponding pressures, tractions or other mechanical effects at defined contacts with the envelope and thus producing the facial expression by means of the envelope. The mechanisms must accurately match the desired effect by their force, amplitude and direction, etc.
The most suitable solutions, for instance for the above lower jaw, are logic systems at pre-formed anatomical structures of the original features.
The anchoring or fixing points of these structures are inside the figure along a central axis, or at other accessories.
3. Force Transmission
Because of the volumes involved--the head of a conventional hand puppet is about 15 to 20 cm.sup.3, a size which moreover must accommodate the puppeteer's finger tip, and which is applicable to the eyes, eyebrows, etc. or larger figures--as a rule, motors or the like cannot be positioned to deliver the power to actuate levers or other devices.
The inside parts, small levers, etc., are connected by bowden cables with the parts providing the force and located outside the figure, in other words they are connected to the traction-cores of bowden cables or are fitted into hydraulic mechanisms.
4. Application of Force
The bowden traction sheath and core are coupled each to a motor or servo-motor outside the figure, i.e., the puppet, the motor or servomotor being matched as regards power and motion to the coupled internal structure to generate corresponding displacements.
5. Power Control
When the motors or servomotors are connected to corresponding control means, the displacements of the control result in envelope displacements analogous to the initiated ones.
The envelope displacements amount each time to a linear displacement element or, in connection with several elements, to an expression--within the possible displacement or expression of the overall figure.
The above described method already is the object of a German patent application P 39 01 079.1-42 for the special case of a manually operated puppet.
Below another method is disclosed whereby all acoustic, mechanical and optical effects can be enhanced by modern technology, resorting to audio-visual carriers to achieve artistic optima in particular as regards facial expression and differentiated figure animation.
Differential displacement, in particular differential facial expression, presumes a large number of single controls, individual displacements including the closing of eyes, up-and-down, left-and-right motion of eyes, opening the mouth, etc., and further integrating these individual motions into the "total motion of the total effect of the total expression", to mention only a few considerations.
The large number of single, simultaneous controls as well as their complexity may overtax the puppeteer, regardless of the obligatory, high-quality special training required and the presumed transfer as "puppeteer", the more so because the technique of animation and the controls may vary from puppet to puppet and because several figures or several techniques may be required for even one scene or one setting.